To Be the Will of Fire
by Patchwork Snowflake
Summary: Naruto wasn't the only one in Konohagakure who had an S-ranked secret. For some unknown reason, Sakura ends up with a tenant of her own. And said tenant just happened to be the incredibly powerful, insanely intelligent, impishly childish God of Shinobi. Have fun with that, Sakura. Mokuton!Sakura
1. Chapter 1

**Well.**

**Perhaps this idea will be disastrous—people might be confused by the summary and title. I'm just trying something new that I think will be interesting. Anyways, I would love to write an enormous explanation, but people will just be bored to death by this author's note and I can't give you anything right now without further ruining the story. That is, if you haven't already seen the characters list in the story's description. If you have, then I'm sure you'll get an inkling of all the divergence that will occur…*laughs evilly***

**I'm sorry. I suck at finishing my other stories. But here's another strong!Sakura fic just to revive your faith in the female main character of Naruto.**

**As always, please point out any mistakes. I suck at editing things.**

* * *

_A cacophony of sensations washed over him. He felt cold and hot and pain and panic and despair and soothing calmness all at the same time, and before he could register what was happening, he found himself staring into darkness. With a start, he realized that he was awake. He surveyed his dark surroundings with bloodshot eyes, blinking and panting._

_Finally. It was about time._

_He could feel the dull pain in his chakra system as his chakra began circulating again_,_ leaden after years of disuse. He nearly winced at the pain that prickled his lungs as he breathed in the moist air. Below him were several large puddles that rested in the uneven rocky ground. Strange. His host's mind was like an underground cavern. But he couldn't complain._

_For twelve years he had slept. Twelve damnable years._

_Sometimes he'd drift out of sleep and see through her eyes, feel with her hands and hear with her ears. Sometimes he'd have bubble-gum pink hair and emerald eyes, a weakness for red ribbons. His spirit would shadow his host's as she mingled among the living. But for the majority of the time, he was asleep inside of her, trapped in the smallest, darkest part of her mindscape as a prisoner of his own power. After all, it was his own chakra that was being used to maintain the seal. Whoever had put him in this situation was _smart _enough to utilize his enormous chakra storages_. _Describing his situation as a living hell was too light of a sentence_.

_To make it worse, the little girl had no idea what was going on inside her this very moment. He couldn't blame his host for this. In fact, he actually pitied her. She had no idea what she (or the man caged inside of her) was capable of. What will happen if people found out about her special qualities? The burden that she carried, though not as dangerous, was far more controversial than a jinchuuriki's. After all, who has ever heard of a person sealed inside of another person?_

_The last thing he remembered before this was dying peacefully from old age, and then the incredible amount of pain as his soul was extracted from his long rotten body and stuffed inside this hellhole. He had no idea how he ended up caged and chained inside this child like a tailed beast. He could feel the weight of the hundreds of metal chains that encircled his arms and legs, holding him upright, suspending him in this warped mental dimension. He tugged his right arm forward, but to no avail. It was like trying to move through honey._

_He growled in frustration, hearing the annoyance in his own voice bounce back to him. There was even a metal collar around his neck, restricting his movements as if he was a disobeying dog. He felt hopeless, wronged, and angry. What if he was stuck here forever? There was no telling what would become of him. He was scared as hell and he wasn't afraid to face it—true shinobi knew that no one was fearless. You can only be courageous. There was no bravery without fear. _

_He tried to look on the bright side- at least he was conscious. From years of meddling with Fuuinjutsu, he knew that being awake meant the bond between him and his host was weakening. Soon, he would be able to talk to her and she would be able to access his chakra. If she was even training to be a ninja, that is._

_He scoffed to himself. Though beggars couldn't be choosers, it was the least fate can do to make his host a ninja. If not, his renowned kekkei genkai and years of knowledge and battle experiences would be wasted. Wasted! There was a time when the mere mention of his name would invoke awed whispers. Look at him now, hopelessly swinging from thousands of metal chains._

_He tentatively reached out a tendril of chakra and probed at a cuff on his arm, attempting to unlock it. In return he received a searing sensation that mimicked a burn. He hissed in pain and threw his head back desperately against the metal collar and quickly retracted his chakra. It was painful, but not unexpected. _

_He sighed, letting out a deep exhale of air. It was getting terribly boring._

_He closed his eyes, letting his thoughts and questions run over him. What a shitty way to die. Again._

_Just as he was about to nod off to sleep, there was a crisp, clear sound in the air. It was click that disgustingly resembled hope- the soft noise of something being unlocked. With a start, he swiveled his head towards the source of his savior and sure enough, one of the numerous cuffs on his arms had popped open like a clam shell. It fell away, the glinting quicksilver chains disappearing into the darkness. _

"_Interesting." He mused to himself after a moment of staring._

_A faint smile spread across his lips. Perhaps it was too soon to say that the legend of the God of Shinobi was ending._

* * *

Sakura had always hated her neighbor.

Her name was Mai or Maiko or something like that- she never bothered to learn it. Her second floor apartment was unfortunately identical to the one she lived in, so Sakura had the honor of occupying the room right across from Mai. The stupid girl was annoying, loud, energetic, and her pigeons always found a way to defile her bedroom balcony.

And the best thing about Mai was that because of her, Sakura never needed an alarm clock.

At exactly six in the morning, Sakura would awake to the sound of her windows being flung open and her blinds dramatically being drawn, accompanied by hummed fanfare.

Today was no exception to this quirky little reception.

"Rise and shine, sweetheart!" Mai sang happily, ripping away Sakura's warm covers. The eight feet of empty space between their two respective balconies did not seem to stop her sheet-molesting ways.

Sakura immediately started to shiver from the lack of warmth and pulled her pillow closer. "Go away, Mai." She mumbled as usual. "I don't even know you."

"I told you my name was Makoto Miwake!" Mai chanted, tossing a wad of clothes at her. She seemingly ignored Sakura's muttered "I don't care", and barged on. "You better get dressed, Sakura! Today's going to be a big day for both you and me!"

Sakura had an internal debate on whether it would be possible to go back to sleep at this point. Groaning, Sakura decided that it would be best to humor Makoto. Groggily, she sat up and rubbed her eyes before fishing around in the pile of clothes that had been thrown at her earlier. Yawning, she slid on her dark red training dress and a pair of black spandex shorts before running a comb through her tangled mess of hair. Meanwhile, Makoto couldn't stop chattering. Sakura nodded half-heartedly here and there, sometimes throwing in a disgruntled "hn" or two. It's amazing how Sasuke-like she was in the mornings.

After completing her morning routine with a babbling Makoto by her side, Sakura was just about to head downstairs when a metallic glint on her dresser caught her eye. Her forehead protector. She'd nearly forgotten about it! Hopes and dreams and possibilities soared before her eyes from just looking at it—it was symbol of her competence, a symbol of adulthood, a symbol of her humble skill. Smiling and feeling more than a little satisfied with herself, Sakura hurried to retrieve it and tied it securely to her forehead.

Makoto suddenly paused in her monologue. "You're already a genin now." She said thoughtfully.

"Obviously," Sakura rolled her eyes, checking her reflection one last time in the mirror over her dresser. Even after twelve years, her face shape and features were still annoyingly childish, especially her wide green eyes. Sometimes she wondered if she'd ever grow up.

Then, Makoto did something completely unexpected. She placed a steady, pale hand on Sakura's shoulder, and directed her steely brown gaze at Sakura in a completely serious manner. It was then that Sakura noticed that Makoto was well over a head taller than her, and that there was muscle underneath her alabaster, seemingly unmarred skin. Her hands were calloused with use, and there were fine lines of age beneath her eyes as well. Her entire person now seemed to scream shinobi.

How did she not notice before?

"Being a genin no longer means that you will have the luxury of remaining carefree and safe," Makoto said. Her voice was an octave deeper than usual. "Once you don this headband, you officially mark yourself as a soldier and tool of Konoha." Faster than Sakura's eyes can track, her other hand flickered forward and removed her headband, and before she could protest, Makoto was halfway across the room, next to the exit. "The path of a shinobi, whether you're a genin or an ANBU captain, is a dangerous one. If you aren't careful, people will target you- for this alone." Makoto said gravely, dangling Sakura's forehead protector from long fingers.

Alarmed, Sakura reached for a weapon, only to find that her kunai pouches were still lying on her bedside table located near Makoto. "You-" she began.

"What is the seventh Shinobi Rule?" Makoto asked, voice loud and clear.

"Be observant of everything around you." Sakura automatically recited. "For it might-" In less time than it took to blink, Makoto was standing behind her. Sakura felt something cold sink in the bottom of her stomach as the cool, sharp edge of a kunai was pressed into the side of her throat, right on her carotid artery.

"For it might save your life someday." Makoto finished, pressing down with more pressure at the same time. Beads of blood began to gather underneath the weapon, and Sakura felt her heart thud against her ribcage. She barely registered the pain on her neck as Makoto's other hand ghosted over her arm with another equally sharp kunai.

_Oh God. _Her first day as a ninja, and already, she was experiencing real battle scenarios. Sakura wracked her brain, trying to come up with a solution to this situation that wouldn't end up with her dead body lying on the floor of her own bedroom. Should she counterattack? Call for help? Talk her way out of this?

"I've been living in the apartment across from you for four years, Sakura." Makoto said slowly, while drawing the kunai across her skin in an agonizingly unhurried speed. A thin trickle of blood dribbled down her throat. "Yet you still don't know my name, how old I am, how skilled I am at killing cute little genin. Nothing, Sakura. I might as well be a spy from a foreign nation."

The cold feeling spread to her gut, and Sakura felt paralyzed, like a sheep in the presence of a wolf. Perhaps she was shaking now- she couldn't tell.

Makoto let her lethal blade glide across Sakura's neck for a few more seconds before finally retracting it, leaving a good six-inch long line of blood that spanned across her throat. Sakura visibly relaxed, but she still kept a wary eye on Makoto as she turned around to face the older woman, scanning her for any signs of another attack.

Makoto took a step back, her violet-tinted black hair bouncing in its place at the top of her head. "A piece of advice, Sakura— make it two. Never sleep without a weapon on you or within your arm's reach. This is especially important to us female ninja. Tie your hair with some senbon needles or strap a dagger to your thigh. And never, ever forget to gather as much information as you can in any situation. The smallest of the details might determine whether you live or die. Like this."

Sakura had noticed Makoto's hand move before the metallic whine of a thrown weapon was suddenly heard. She quickly stepped to the side as a kunai whizzed by her ear, too fast for her to follow as it somehow veered to the side and disappeared out the window.

At her reaction, Makoto nodded, her pupil-less eyes flashing with something unidentifiable. "Well done." She smiled, showing slightly elongated canines. Something flashed in her eyes. "As a reward, I'll issue a challenge to you."

A pink eyebrow raised, and Sakura nearly asked Makoto to repeat herself. A challenge? In the middle of something like this?

"Considering that you are the number one kunoichi in your class based off of your test scores and strategic planning, you have probably already realized that I am not Makoto Miwake. The challenge is simple. I'll tell you now that I am a kunoichi of Konoha. No need to alert the authorities of a foreign ninja illegal residing in Konoha. By the end of this week, you are to find out my real name, my rank, and the specific department I work in. You'll get a bonus if you find out my other address. You may use _any means possible_—just try not to sneak into my apartment. You don't want to meet my pets. I tend to forget to feed them, and they aren't very nice, either."

Sakura had a feeling she wasn't talking about her pigeons. She gulped at the hidden threat, but she worked up the courage to make a comment. "That sounds easy enough." She said steadily. "But why should I do this? What am I going to get out of it? What if I talk to the Hokage about a crazy psychopath that tried to kill me in my own home?"

Makoto's smile grew wider. "I wouldn't worry about the Hokage part. He's used to me. And since you asked politely, I'll tell you your prize. If you succeed, I'll offer you free dango and training sessions."

Sakura coughed. _Training sessions?_ From her speed and skill alone, Sakura had already concluded that this woman was better than Iruka, who was a chuunin. It was common knowledge in the ninja community that most shinobi with a rank higher than chunnin wouldn't bother giving out their free time to train anonymous genin. And when they did, most offers were readily accepted.

Seeing the look on her face, Makoto spoke again. "Don't worry. I don't break promises. However, there is a catch. After you've found out all that information about me, you won't be reporting it to me."

"…_What_?"

"I said, you won't be reporting to _me_. You'll be reporting all of this information to my _boyfriend._"

With a smirk, a wink, and a pose that flaunted her barely-concealed breasts, Makoto was gone.

* * *

She was hungry. And pissed. Really, _really _pissed. Sakura stomped all the way to the Academy without stopping, too occupied with planning a proper retaliation to Makoto's assault to shovel food down her throat. Feeling light headed, she decided that it was time to end the visions of fresh, steaming egg omelettes and bowls of delicious, savory miso soup. She fished around in one of her packs and found a granola bar, which she quickly unwrapped and shoved into her mouth. She washed the crunchy oatmeal down with a gulp from a water bottle, returning the large flask to its place on her hip after a long swig.

"That crazy bitch." Sakura muttered around a mouthful of oats and nuts under her breath, pushing open the double doors. Her mind was clearer now that she could actually think without the sound of her stomach growling. She autopolited her way to Iruka's classroom, fuming to herself along the way.

How _dare _she just enter her house like that? Sure, this was a shinobi village, but being threatened in her own home was just a slap to her face. She'll show Makoto that she wasn't just some little Academy first-year playing ninja.

Venomous thoughts buzzing in her head, Sakura barged into the familiar classroom, straight into-

Nothing.

Three neat rows of empty desks, mounted an an ascending platform, faced her. She was the first to arrive today. Sakura glanced at the clock. It was ten seconds to six thirty. No wonder. Shaking her head, she sighed and made her way to the bench in the far back. Just as she settled into the chair, she heard footsteps approaching, and before she knew it, Sasuke had pushed open the classroom door, gracefully stepping into the classroom after a brief pause and scan in her direction.

He'd seemed the tiniest bit taken aback that she was here before him, if the initial pause before he entered the door was anything to go by. But he made no attempt to ask her about her unusually early arrival. She must have been not important enough to waste his breath on. He then shuffled slowly towards the central bench, where he sat alone every single day for the past five years, not even sparing a second glance in her direction. Usually Sakura would've attempted to make a conservation with him, and hopefully he'll just find out how sweet and lovely she is when she laughed and then suddenly, he'll realized that she was all he wanted and-

Sakura forced herself to stop. She was love struck, but she was no fool. There was no way in hell that Sasuke would like someone like her, or even talk to a girl in the first place. TShe didn't understand him, and she had a feeling that she never will.

Blowing a stray strand of hair out of her face, Sakura kicked her feet up on the desk in front of her, closing her eyes. Whatever. Sasuke could think she was rude, that she had no manners—she could really care less right now. She crossed her legs, getting a little bit more comfortable on the desk. Even without seeing him, she could feel Sasuke turn around and giving her an incredulous once-over. She pushed him out of her mind. What mattered the most right now was where she should begin her search.

Of course she could always ask Iruka sensei. But that would be suspicious. Why would a new graduate be acquainted with an older, much more experienced ninja? Maybe she could even henge herself into another chuunin and enter the advanced archives at the library. But if her cover was blown, she might be marked as a traitor and executed. All the other ideas that she'd come up with were dismissed as well, all being too difficult, too unproductive, or impossible in some way. The best shot at uncovering Makoto's identity was visiting as many venues that the shinobi frequented as possible, and—

"Where did you get that cut?"

His tone was surprisingly deep and level. At the sound of Sasuke's voice, Sakura immediately snapped out of her train of thought. For a fraction of a second she was annoyed with his rude interruption, but when she remembered who it was, all of her irritation melted away.

"My cut?" Sakura was genuinely confused.

Sasuke was still facing forward in his seat, two rows down from where Sakura sat. Only his elaborately spiked ebony hair was visible to her. "The wound on your neck." He spoke slowly, as if talking to an idiot.

A hand flew up to her neck and Sakura traced the ridged line that Makoto's kunai had drawn earlier. For some reason, she thought of the seventh shinobi rule again. With a slight start, she realized that Sasuke was the top graduate of the year not just because of his taijutsu and ninjutsu skill. Sakura was sure he had only looked at her for a second. Observant, indeed.

But as much as she liked him, she couldn't tell him what happened without making it sound like a tale fabricated to garner his attention. "It was an accident?" Her voice squeaked, turning her attempt at a reassuring statement into a question.

Sasuke turned around slowly, his unsettlingly dark gaze meeting hers.

"Do you really expect the bastard to believe that?" Stretching his hands above his head in a yawn, Kiba strolled into the classroom. Akamaru poked out from his owner's hood, his tongue hanging out. Both Sasuke and Sakura turned to the new arrival. "We're both from ninja clans. We know a weapon injury when we see one. The mark on your neck is too precise and straight for 'an accident'. I can smell the remnants of your fear and the metal all the way from here."

Sakura felt blood flooding towards her cheeks and neck. When had Kiba ever said something that intelligent? No matter, even the second-last was more observant than she was. She sighed and hung her head, not looking up until she felt a weight settling next to her on the bench. Startled, she looked up again and saw Kiba grinning at her. The Inuzuka ninja had never talked to her before, or even acknowledged her beyond the getting-to-know-each other activities Iruka had prompted them to do at the beginning of the year.

"Well? What happened to you? You've never seem like the type to get yourself hurt." Kiba gestured at her wound, leaning forward with his elbows propped against his thighs.

By now, students that had passed the genin exam had already started streaming in, including a throng of Sasuke's fangirls who'd started to fight over the seat next to Sasuke. Sakura eyed them wearily before she answered Kiba.

"Well," Sakura began. "My neighbor tried to kill me today."

"No way!" Kiba sat up from his slouch. "Where do you live, next to the bakery? I thought civilians couldn't tell the difference between a kunai and a shuriken!"

Sakura found herself spilling every single detail of her account to Kiba, who contributed his own share of his opinions at her tale. Akamaru would yip in agreement with his master, and one of his indecipherable comments left Kiba sputtering and blushing and Sakura with her eyebrow raised. Other than that, Kiba turned out to be extremely funny, and soon enough, they were both laughing rowdily as the steady buzz of conversation among the newly minted genin around them escalated.

As Sakura's most recent fit of giggles died down, Kiba spoke again. "Say, Sakura. Do you have a plan for finding out all that information yet?"

Sakura nodded. By now, some of the worry and anger she felt towards Makoto had faded away, thanks to Kiba's easygoing manner. "I think I'll visit _The Hokage's Sake Cup _first."

At the mention of the most popular shinobi bar in Konoha, Kiba blanched. "You do realize that you're going to be kicked out for being underage, right?"

Sakura set her hand on her hip and pointed the thumb of her other one at herself, tilting her head back. "Who says I'm going to go in?"

Kiba quickly shook his head. "If you send a clone in, the most it'll do is cause a few laughs. I'm sure most shinobi are competent enough to recognize an Academy-level clone when they see one."

"You're jumping to conclusions again, Kiba. All I need is some makeup, a bit of hairspray, and a change of clothes…"

Kiba held up a hand. "Forget it. I've tried that before with my sister, and she just punched me. Fake cleavage doesn't always work."

"What was that about fake cleavage?" Sakura snapped. In response, Kiba laughed, his canines glinting in the morning light. That, along with the angry red triangular marks on his cheeks, made Sakura realize for the first time how feral he truly was.

She sighed. "Well, in that case, there's not much I can do. I guess I can always volunteer at the Mission Assigning desk and wait for her to show up."

Kiba fell silent for a second, looking almost pensive for the loud, unruly idiot he usually is. "Do you know what the Inuzaka are famous for, Sakura?"

"Tracking by scent." Sakura answered, recalling Iruka's lecture about the various clans in Kononha. She'd paid especially a lot of attention that day because of a certain Uchiha.

Kiba patted her on the head, and retracted his hand with a smirk when Sakura made a grab for it. "Very good, Miss Number Kunoichi. Now, guess whose scent I can detect on you?"

Sakura blinked. "You don't mean…"

Kiba's smirk just widened. "Oh yes, I do."

"Then you'll help me, right?" Sakura said excitedly, snatching Kiba's wrists before he could pull away from the look in her eyes. When he started to struggle in her grasp, Sakura only tightened her hold. "Please?"

Kiba looked torn for a second. He was just about to open his mouth to answer when a clear voice cut through the air.

"Sakura-san, let go of Kiba-san. I'm afraid the team assignments are already set. Even if you glue yourself to Kiba-san, we still don't take romantic interests into account when assigning teams." Iruka cleared his throat, pulling out a clipboard as he addressed the now silent class.

Giggles erupted around them, and Sakura felt like burying herself. She quickly let go of Kiba's wrists and joined the rest of the class in listening apprehensively to the Team Assignment.

"I've already given my goodbye speech yesterday, so I'll just cut to the chase and call out the assignments now. After your team roster is called, please gather with your new teammates." Iruka scanned each of the faces in the room. "Any questions?"

When everyone shook their heads, Iruka began calling out the team names. His voice was lost to Sakura as she turned towards Kiba again, lowering her voice.

"When you're done with your team today, come back to the Academy and wait for me. Please, you gotta help me find her. I'll even buy us dinner! Your choice!" Sakura whispered, adding a pleading look to her eyes for the effect. Bribery should work on Kiba.

Kiba rolled his eyes, but there was a smile tugging at the corner of his lip. "Fine."

Sakura inwardly pumped her fist and performed a victory dance, just as she heard her name being called.

"Team Seven will be Naruto Uzumaki, Sakura Haruno, and Sasuke Uchiha. Your sensei is Kakashi Hatake."

* * *

Sakura had expected it.

As Iruka had explained to a crestfallen Naruto earlier, their team was formed so that her brains and Sasuke's raw skill balanced out Naruto's…well, Naruto-ness.

Sakura was sure that underneath that loud, gag-on-sight neon orange and blue tracksuit and that loud, brash personality, there was a kind and compassionate boy who wanted nothing more but a few friends. She had always had the ability to read people well. The idiocy that Naruto wore like a mask was a primal defense to shield himself from his unpopularity. Now, even as he argued with Sasuke about kissing (and why were they arguing about that again?), she could hear the happiness in his voice that someone was finally acknowledging him.

"Hey, Sakura-chan! The prick here says that I would never be able to get a date! And we're going to prove him wrong, right?"

But for now, he was just a loud, reckless childish idiot who didn't understand the concept of filtering thoughts from conversation.

"NO!" Sakura responded by throwing one of her old textbooks at him. It was a lazy throw, a toss, almost—one that Naruto didn't dodge. When it hit home on the blonde's infuriating grin, Naruto hissed in agony and started to complain about how rude she was to him. Sakura sighed and buried her face in her hand. She had a feeling that it was going to be a long, long day.

Suddenly, an excruciating pain lanced through her head. It felt like her entire body was being smashed against a rock wall while thousands of needles were stabbing through every inch of her skin. Her vision blurred alarmingly and spasms wracked her body. It all happened too quickly, unnaturally quickly. Sakura screamed. Her voice sounded garbled. Her throat felt like parchment as another wail rasped against it, her own voice trying to escape the pain, and her hearing rang. Something hot seared against her back, and Sakura could almost feel something unraveling within her, unchaining the captive-

At some point, while the unbearable agony coiled around her body like a python, she fell from her spot on the desk and curled into a trembling ball on the floor. Barely conscious, all she could feel was the pain. Her spasms turned into convulsions. Sakura was sure there was foam at her mouth. And she could hear her heartbeat—no, two heartbeats, hers and his—_No! This isn't possible!_

"Sakura! Sakura! Sakura! Oh my God, what's happening? It's all your fault, you bastard! You…you…you poisoned her with your glares!"

She barely heard her team mate's frantic cries, or the sound of the door being opened and another voice, male and unfamiliar, calling out to them. A vivid image flashed before her eyes. _A young man, his skin tan with years of Sun and his ink-colored hair wild. His face was achingly familiar, shadowed by the triangular hat that perched regally above his head, and the white robe he wore was adorned with fire-red kanji on the back—_

The illusion suddenly dispersed, and the pain ebbed to a dull throb along with it. Her world turned black and silent, and Sakura felt strangely serene. Detached, almost. She was standing in the center of a moist, warm cave, and large puddles of water lapped against her sandals. She heard the creak of metal above her, and very, very, slowly, she looked up.

The same man was now hanging from four shackles, one on each limb. He looked visibly strained, sweat plastering his hair to his skin. When their eyes met, green on dark brown, Sakura felt the dull throb on her back grow hot again, as if someone was pouring hot wax down her spine.

A piece of paper drifted down from above, and landed softly on Sakura's upturned face. The heat on her back was becoming unbearable as she peeled the sheet of paper from her face, reading the single black kanji on it. _Kusari. _Chain.

"Rip it." The man's voice was authoritative and calm, a deep baritone that echoed in the cavern. "Set me free. Set both of us free."

Maybe it was the urgency in his voice, but her fingers obeyed the command without her mind's consent. For a second all she could hear was the sound of the paper being ripped. Once the two halves were separated, the whole world exploded into a flurry of white.

* * *

**The identity of Sakura's prisoner is easy enough. But what about Makoto? And her boyfriend? Wanna guess to see if you get it right? ;D **

**R&R**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you for all the positive reviews and encouragement from the follows and favorites! I'm just as excited to work on this story as you guys are to read it!**

**Anyways, here comes chapter two. Enjoy! As always, R&R.**

* * *

_"Basically, some idiot decided to bring me back from the dead and lock me indefinitely in some random girl."_

* * *

Kakashi Hatake could count the number of times he'd dropped Icha Icha Paradise with the fingers on one hand. It was one of the damn proudest accomplishments he could boast about, hands down. He'd even requested for it to be written in his Bingo book entry.

Sadly, it was rejected.

But he supposed he was glad about that rejection, because it'll be a pain to get the publishers to change it after today.

It all started when Kakashi was leafing through his favorite book, humming as he slowly made his way towards classroom 204A in the Shinobi Academy, footsteps completely silent. The former ANBU captain was almost at the climax of his favorite chapter as he set a gloved hand on the doorknob. He paused. Inside the classroom, he could hear someone screaming and the sound of a book hitting a head. Sighing, he let go and backed away from the door, never taking his eyes off the page. Perhaps he'll wait until his students calm down a little.

Suddenly, a blast of green chakra exploded from the room, flinging the door open and knocking him backwards.

The seasoned ninja immediately set his foot back to steady himself before he could crash into the opposite wall, raising an arm up to shield his eyes from the blinding light that followed. _What is this?_ His mind, finely sharpened from experience, immediately switched to battle mode as his eyes scanned the area for any signs of a possible attack.

Without warning, another wave of the overpowering chakra slammed into him. This time, Kakashi was prepared, and although he didn't lose his balance, the chakra sent his precious little book flew down the hallway before the jounin could react.

"Shit." He growled lowly.

Kakashi narrowed his eyes. The splash of orange lying a few feet away demanded to be returned to his owner, but he couldn't afford to move away from the classroom is this situation. The three genin inside were his responsibility now.

Thinking fast, he nipped his thumb just hard enough to draw a tiny droplet of blood, squished it onto the floor and watched the patterns dance and twist around the digit. A puff of smoke rose up from the seal, and three of his ninja hound summonings appeared.

"We have an unidentified chakra source at location 4, section 204A, possibly coming from an A-ranked opponent. Jounin Hatake Kakashi requesting backup. Deliver this message to the Hokage, the jounin center, and the ANBU headquarters."

His loyal summonings nodded, and in the blink of an eye, they were leaping out of the open window down the hallway. As they bounded away, Kakashi wasted no time in shunshining into the open door, stepping in front of the black board.

He took one look at the scene and narrowed his eyes, instinctively palming three kunai. Both Naruto and Sasuke had their backs turned towards him, bodies positioned in a defensive stance. The two genin trained their eyes on the third person in their newly formed genin team, who was currently lying limply on the ground.

What was her name again? _Sakura Haruno_, he remembered. He could barely recall any information about her. After rifling through her surprisingly thin files and records, he'd marked her off as insignificant, weak; the unlucky third wheel in the team of two legends-in-the-making.

So why was _she _the one shielded behind a dome of swirling, chaotic green chakra, so powerful that Kakashi literally felt his body _vibrating _from it?

"Who are you and why are you here?" Sasuke suddenly whirled around, pointing a kunai at him. Kakashi regarded him calmly. He wasn't surprised at the action- his files had warned against cynicism. Next to him, Naruto, who was still transfixed by the strands of spinning chakra peeling off of the dome, followed in suit.

"I am your sensei." He responded simply. With another small burst of chakra at his feet, he moved behind the two genin before they could react, facing Sakura. The girl laid in a twitching pile between two aisles of desks. Her eyes were wide open, revealing eerily dilated pupils surrounded by green irises. Drool pooled from her gaping mouth as she thrashed around in the center of the chakra dome. The sight roused old demons buried deep within his mind, and Kakashi fought the panic of hopelessness that coursed through him.

Instead, he calmly asked, "Mind telling me what happened here?"

"We don't know!" Naruto piped up. "I was asking her out on a date, and she just suddenly fell out from her chair! It was super scary, and Sasuke and I were arguing but then she started making choking sounds and we both came over here to see what happened. Then suddenly, out of nowhere came this huge…wave and I fell backwards. Then this green light thing exploded, and this green stuff came out from her and now it's that shield around her*."

Kakashi heard Sasuke growl lowly in frustration. "Aside from his terrible narrating skills, that is basically what happened."

"Hey, teme! I don't have bad narrating skills, whatever that is!"

"You're barely literate, so it's not surprising."

Kakashi barely kept track of their badly timed argument. He'd noticed something very, very strange about Sakura—the chakra she was emitting was actually a dual chakra signature, an elaborate dance of two separate chakra sources that intertwined at parts, weaving in and out of each other. Of course Sakura herself couldn't have that much chakra…this amount was unheard of in genin, especially kunoichi. Kakashi ran a quick estimate. Around one percent of it was a weaker, unrefined chakra, probably Sakura's. And the other 99%...

Before he could speculate any further, the pink-haired girl in question screamed hoarsely, a sound that blazed a trail of gooseflesh down the jounin's arms. The bickering between Naruto and Sasuke fell silent in mid-sentence. The sphere of chakra around Sakura was suddenly absorbed back into her body. For a second Kakashi thought it had reentered her chakra system. Then, he realized that she was pooling all of chakra together into a spot on her back, lighting aflame a pattern he hadn't noticed before, almost as if—

His eyes widened as it hit him. _Oh fuck oh fuck oh fuck oh fuck._

"_**Run!**_" He barked at the two genin behind him, spinning around and tossing away his kunai before giving the two a hard push. Unaware of what was happening behind them, his new students blinked, not understanding his sudden panic.

Kakashi cursed under his breath. The chakra behind them will explode any second now. Left with no choice, he dashed forward, grabbed his two students by the waist, and performed a seal-less transportation jutsu to take them hopefully somewhere far away just as a deafening boom sounded behind them.

* * *

*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*

* * *

When the dust and the smoke had parted after an advanced Wind Jutsu, Sarutobi Hiruzen was left in a state of heightened shock that threatened to give him a heart attack.

"Kami-sama…." The Third Hokage murmured under his breath. The scene laid out in front of him, combined with the events in the past hour, left his battle-hardened nerves buzzing.

The three chakra pulses came with no warning, each one sending a stronger shockwave through the village. Their effect had been devastating, throwing the previously peaceful village into chaos. Hiruzen had immediately called forth half of his forces and instructed them to secure the citizens and Konoha's premises, and set off with three squads of ninja towards the epicenter, where they were now. The explosions, Sarutobi knew, were a result of the incredibly strong chakra signature, a signature that he would never forget, even after so many years.

_Sensei...You have returned to us, have you not?_

Clouds of dust and debris obscuring his vision dissipated further, giving him a fuller view of the mangled building in front of him. Half of the Shinobi Academy was gone, leaving jagged edges of walls and foundations poking out from the rubble. Pieces of twisted, superheated steel stuck out at odd angles among the splinters of classroom furnishings. _It'll take months and millions of ryos to rebuild_, he thought to himself. It was a miracle that it was Team Assignments day, or else hundreds of students would've perished in the blasts. Sarutobi inwardly shuddered at that possibility.

One of the jounin standing behind him stepped forward, coming up to stop behind their white-robed leader. "Hokage-sama, excuse me…but what in the name of hell _is that?_" He extended his arm, pointing towards the massive structure that rose up from the ruined facility.

The Third followed the jounin's pointed finger, chuckling lowly. "That, my friend, is the power of the Senju clan."

Towering over the Third Hokage and the three squads of assorted ANBU, jounin, and chunnin was a wooden arch. It was _enormous_, easily dwarfing every single building in Konoha. Its arched bases stretched into the distance, leaving a tall span of smooth, undamaged wood overhead.

"This, I suspect, is an uncompleted Rashomon Summoning jutsu." He continued, eliciting sounds of surprise and disbelief from the small crowd behind him. "The structure we are currently looking at is the basis of the First Hokage's strongest defensive ninjutsu. He would create five wooden catalysts, then use them to summon five successive Rashomon gates, which would block an incoming attack. Compared to the ones that the First used for battle, however, the one we are currently looking at is relatively small and incomplete." Hiruzen finished with a flourish. The Professor, indeed.

For almost entire minute, the only sound to be heard among in the destroyed schoolyard was the whistling of the spring wind.

"But the Shodai Hokage…" A voice began.

"Has been dead for half a century!" Another piped up to complete the sentence.

Hiruzen's eyes shifted towards the source of his predecessor's chakra, permeating from the figure lying exactly on the arch's apex. "I'd thought so, too."

* * *

Little did Sakura know that as she laid on a hospital bed, a maze of needles and equipment attached to her body, her entire village was in an uproar.

And of course, it took her awhile to find out, even after she'd finally managed to drag herself out of unconsciousness, her crusty eyelids peeling away to reveal the harsh fluorescent hum of hospital lighting. She scrunched her eyes closed again, just as the overwhelming scent of chlorine and disinfectants attacked her lungs.

"Water," she whispered hoarsely, eyes still glued shut, hoping that a nurse could hear. Her throat felt like someone had shoved cotton in it, and _dammit_, it burned. "Water!"

She heard frantic footsteps shuffle around and soon enough, a strong arm was helping her sit up. The cold rim of a mug was being pressed on her chapped lips. Greedily, Sakura grabbed the mug, barely feeling the painful tug of several IV units embedded on her arm, and downed the entire cup in one go. She coughed, and the arm rubbed her back soothingly.

"My, Sakura. Thirsty after your beauty sleep?" Her savoir chuckled good-naturedly, and Sakura coughed again. _That voice!_

"Ino!" She forced her eyes to open again, and sure enough, the blond was sitting next to her on the hospital bed, nestled in the crook between her hip and harm, dressed in casual outfit comprised of a loose purple t-shirt and shorts.

"Yup, that's me. Glad to see you don't have amnesia." In return, her childhood friend offered her a tentative grin, spreading a light of relief that reached her cyan eyes. Sakura noticed that they were slightly swollen and red…was she crying? "You look like an army of Choujis rolled over you, Sakura."

Sakura ignored the double insult and the fact that Ino had just called her Sakura instead of Forehead Girl. "You…why are you here? Where's Naruto? Sasuke? My parents?" _Why was Ino here instead of any of them?_

A flash ofhurt temporarily shadowed the blond's face, as if she could hear Sakura's thoughts. Sakura winced at how insensitive her tone must have sounded, but the look was quickly gone from the bubbly blond's face, replaced by an eye roll. "Oh, you know, the usual. They're just having a conference with the Hokage and the Council."

"Wh-wha….?" By now, Sakura was struggling hard to clear away the fog that addled her brain, trying to come up with an explanation for all of this over the sound of the beeps and bloops of the machinery surrounding her. Ino waited patiently the entire time as she attempted to put her thoughts together, running a hand through her perfectly combed platinum blond ponytail.

"And if you were conscious, you would've been attending the meeting too. It's basically all about you." Ino quipped, deciding to intervene. "Though I really wouldn't call it a meeting—last time I checked, there was a full-out rally outside the Hokage's tower with people demanding to know what happened this morning, and Naruto was having a shouting match with one of the elders. The entire village is panicking. You should be glad you were exempt. As for me, I volunteered to keep an eye on you so the medical staff could take a break to report on you."

Sakura tried to wrap her head around what the blond had just said. _Meeting, about you, rally, Naruto, medical staff-_

"Ino, I appreciate that you were kind enough to help me. But seriously, what happened?" Sakura asked carefully.

The blond sighed dramatically. "You know what? I'll show you."

Sakura watched, perplexed, as Ino jumped lithely off the hospital bed and crossed the room to the large window facing Sakura, pulling the white curtains open. For a moment the Sun blinded her, but when the white spots danced away, Sakura's jaw slacked open.

A huge wooden arch, its shape resembling a bridge, was now straddling the center of the village. Easily fifteen-stories tall, Sakura could see it all the way from the Konoha Hospital, a good ten miles away. It had definitely _not _been there this morning. And beneath the arch was a stream of people that choked the streets, forming a gyrating parade that led all the way to the Hokage tower.

After a few moments of gawking, Ino drew the blinds closed again, receiving a sharp protest from a previously speechless Sakura. "Hey! Why did you do that?"

"Quiet!" Ino reprimanded, holding her index finger to her lips. The blond glanced towards the hospital room door. "Technically, I wasn't supposed to show you."

"But-"Sakura started.

"There are four ANBU guards outside." Ino hissed. "I don't want them to hear that I broke the rules."

Sakura finally snapped. "Okay, what the hell? I wake up and I find myself on a freaking hospital bed, and the first person I see is _you_, who shows me this random arch that had sprouted out of the ground and tells me there's _ANBU_ _guards _outside of my hospital room-"

"Don't you see, Sakura?" Ino interrupted her, exasperated. "Haven't you figured it out already? The reason why you're here is because _you_-" The blond pointed a perfectly manicured finger at her for emphasis, "Were the one that made _that-" _The finger was redirected at the window."And scared the living shit out of everyone in Konoha!"

When the full impact of Ino's words hit her, Sakura slumped backwards into the soft pillows on the bed, taking in a sharp breath. For a few seconds she just laid there and breathed, trying to process what she'd just saw and heard.

Ino's voice took on a venomous tone as she continued. "Now it's all about you, Sakura. You've got an entire village paying attention to you, not just Sasuke-kun. Are you happy?"

"That was harsh, pig." Sakura breathed shallowly through her nose, Ino's words digging into her like sharpened spears. She felt slightly lightheaded as a mix of anger, frustration, bitterness, and desolation raced through her blood. Her ex-best friend must have reopened old scars.

"Not as harsh as the look my father gave me when you beat me in the genin exam finals," Ino retorted. "Or when you were assigned to the same team as the boy that I've loved for years."

A simmering pot of emotions that had been bubbling inside of Sakura since waking up finally exploded. Rage coursing through her blood, the pinkette sat up harshly. With no regard whatsoever to the pain, Sakura grabbed the cords of all seven needles inserted into her left arm and tugged them out forcefully, tossing the dripping cords aside. She did the same with the attachments on her right arm, all the while holding an intense gaze with the Yamanaka standing in front of her.

"Oh, is that what this is all about? So you finally know how it feels to be jealous, eh, Ino?" Sakura ground out as she swung her feet over the edge of the warm bed, jumping off and striding over to the blond until they were less than a few inches apart, the tips of their noses almost touching. "Do you really want attention and Sasuke-kun that badly?"

Her fellow kunoichi never flinched, even as blood began to drip onto her shoes from the punctures on Sakura's pale arms. "I've always lived to be popular, beautiful, and strong, Sakura. But to me, friends are more important. What's the point of being a pretty flower if you're alone in a meadow?" Her voice became softer, almost hesitant when she added, "You were always my best friend, the friend I couldn't live without."

"And I've always been beneath you, Ino." She started, staring into the pupil-less depths of her friend's icy blue eyes. "I was always the second best kunoichi in class, always the second most attractive, the second most elegant of the girls. When we sparred, it was always either a tie, or I came in second. I'm _tired_ of being second, Ino." Her initial goal had been to reprimand Ino, but as the words came tumbling out, Sakura had realized that everything she'd said had _so true_: her desire to be strong had been welled up inside of her for a quite awhile. Now that she recognizes it, it surges forward like an unstoppable flame, a passion.

The girl she was addressing fell silent for some time, but she never backed away, holding Sakura's intense gaze.

Suddenly Ino laughed, a sound so mirthless that Sakura nearly cringed. "I respect you, Sakura. You would have never done such a thing six years ago, standing up to me like that."

"Back then, we were kids. We are ninja now, practically adults." Sakura replied evenly, her rage smoldering down. "Besides, I meant everything I'd just said."

Ino sighed, temporarily turning away a little, her eyes catching the soft sunlight. But when met Sakura's eyes again, much to the pinkette's surprise, there was a small, but genuine smile on the blonde's face. "This whole mess…was kinda my fault. I thought that I could finally make up to you, Sakura. When I heard about you and what had happened…. I was worried, of course about you. But I'd thought…I'd thought that maybe if I came here to see you and be here when you woke up, we could have been friends again." She took a shuddering breath, something broken in her voice as she continued. "I wanted for it to be like we've never grown distant, so apart."

As much as she resented the girl for who she was, Sakura hated seeing anyone—even her sworn rival- cry. All of the sudden her animosity sputtered out and died as if someone had poured water on it, replaced by a twist of sadness and confusion. Never in their long, arduous rivalry had she expected that it would be Ino to make amends first. "Ino-chan…"

"I don't regret loving Sasuke. I never will." Ino stopped her, voice resolute and firm again. "And I'm sure you don't, either."

Sakura smirked a little. "Nope."

Ino returned the smirk. "Well then…we'll have to settle this later. It's noon right now, and I'm supposed to pick up my lunch. I'll go order another one for you as well. You're probably starving." Rather anti-climatically, Ino began walking towards the door. "I'll be back in half an hour."

Sakura watched the blond leave, waving a little at her back, letting out a breath that she hadn't know she was holding until then. Her bravado faltered, and Sakura slumped forward. She had no idea what she was getting herself into when she started the argument...and even though they hadn't truly come to terms with their tattered friendship, she still felt as if an enormous weight had been lifted off her chest. _I missed you, Ino._

The moment Ino stepped out the door frame and the door lock clicked in place, however, Sakura tiptoed hurriedly over to the window, cautiously drawing the curtains open once again.

"Wow," Sakura breathed, founding herself unable to tear her eyes away from the honey-toned wood. There was something ethereally majestic about the archway—something about it that screamed powerful. The more she looked at it, the more entranced she felt. It must have taken lots of chakra to perform a jutsu like that. If Ino's words held true, Sakura couldn't wait to find out how she had made it.

"It's shocking, isn't it? I didn't even think you- I mean _we_ had enough chakra to pull it off." Sakura nearly jumped out of her skin at the voice, and it didn't help when a hand settled on her shoulder. "The Rashomon gate looks kinda ugly though. Not colorful enough. I'll have to teach you how to make more attractive ones."

Sakura felt her heart thump towards her throat.

"Ino...you _better _not be playing a prank on me." Feeling the blood drain from her face, Sakura slowly, slowly revolved her numbed body around.

It was _him._

* * *

"Let me rephrase this," Kakashi ran a gloved hand through his silvery hair, closing his only visible eye for a moment. "You're telling me that along with the last surviving member of the Uchiha and _Naruto Uzumaki,_ I'm also going to be training a civilian girl that is somehow the container of Hashirama Senju's soul."

The nurse, a tall woman with dark hair nodded, drumming her purple-coated nails on her clipboard. She reminded him of a certain someone. "I wouldn't say that it's his soul, but yep. We ran several tests and compared them to remaining samples from the First Hokage."

"And the results?" Kakashi demanded impatiently.

"It's astounding, Hatake-san." There was an excited glint in the nurse's eye, and she leaned forward, unknowingly giving Kakashi an eyeful of her cleavage at the same time. Kakashi made a mental note to personally thank whoever had designed the hospital uniforms later. "Over 70% of her chakra system is now filled with foreign chakra, and she's still alive. Most people twice her age and size wouldn't be able to hold over 50% without the foreign chakra corroding their systems. Imagine! This girl is a living medical miracle!" Kakashi swore she was bouncing (not that he minded) when she turned around and dashed three strides down the short hallway, her tall heels clanking against the linoleum tiles. She rummaged around and ran back with a manila folder moments later.

"Here, take a look yourself." She offered the folder to him, and he took it, flipping through the detailed scans and diagrams. How the medical staff managed to do this in a mere five hours, he didn't know. Medic-nin had always been a mystery to him.

He'd cornered the head nurse when the Hokage had dismissed the meeting for a lunch break earlier, snagging Naruto and Sasuke along the way to make sure they wouldn't try visiting their team mate during the hour-long intermission. His two charges were currently milling quite uneasily further down the hallway, where he could keep track of them without being overheard.

Kakashi was sure they were just as uneasy and intrigued as he was, seeing that the three of them were the first to experience the "Incident", as it was now called firsthand.

The nurse crashed his train of thought. "And not only that, her blood type changed from O to AB. We're not sure how that's possible, but this is definitely the first time it has happened. New antibodies are forming in her immune system, antibodies that have only been documented in Senju." The nurse rattled on. "And whatever is causing this, it's definitely taking a toll on her. Haruno-san has been unconscious for the past five hours."

Kakashi tensed. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Sasuke and Naruto do the same—for Sakura or for her newfound relationship to the legendary clan of the Mokuton, he wasn't sure. _So much for no eavesdropping._

Almost impulsively, he asked, "Is Sakura taking any visitors right now?"

* * *

It was by far the most intense and psychologically challenging staring contest that Sakura has ever been in.

Sharp, mint-flecked green eyes bore into exquisitely intelligent brown pools, neither backing down, neither moving forward. As the seconds ticked into minutes, her neck started to cramp after tilting upwards: her opponent was over six feet tall. Despite their height difference, the stranger's hand stayed on her shoulder. Sakura vaguely recalled her Makoto's warnings, and wished that her kunai pouches hadn't been replaced by the hospital gown.

Out of the blue, he suddenly smiled, flashing brilliant white teeth.

"It's good to finally meet my host." The man said simply, his baritone smooth, like silk. Diplomatic. He gave her shoulder a light squeeze. "Thank you for freeing me."

_Host...Host?! I'm his host!?_

"Oh, you're very welcome." Despite her confusion and terror and panic that _a man inside her head was now real and touching her freaking shoulder_, Sakura still answered politely. It had taken her mother years to beat a little bit of charm and charisma into Sakura's rather blunt way of thinking, and now it was paying off.

But when their conversation lulled into silence for a few moments, Sakura blurted, "Who the _hell _are you?"

Her mother would be so proud.

The man cocked his head to the side, elegant features twisting into a look of concern. "Ah, children these days. You _really _have to learn how to be more eloquent with expressing yourself, young lady."

Cheeks turned cherry pink as Sakura blushed, realizing that she had just probably offended someone extremely powerful. "...A-ano. I'm sorry. That was very brash of me."

For a second Sakura thought that she'd gone truly overboard with her previous comment, but the man merely chuckled, a deep, warm sound that echoed in her rib cage. His hand left its spot on her shoulder and positioned itself in front of her, his palm splayed out. "If you want my name, give me yours first. It is only common courtesy to do so."

Sakura frowned and gingerly took his large, tan hand in her own. They shook once, twice, as if making a deal, her joints cracking at Hashirama's naturally harsh grip.

"I'm Sakura Haruno, genin of Konohagakure." she said, satisfyingly adding her own title. "It's a pleasure to be of your acquaintanceship."

"Pleasure," The man nodded at her seriously, releasing his death-hold on her hand. "Hashirama Senju, First Hokage of Konohagakure, Second God of Shinobi."

Oh.

_Ohhh._

Sakura blinked, feeling very small and insignificant. Like a wonderfully squashable ant speaking to an eagle.

Then, at those words that Hashirama had so simply spoken, her world shattered into a million tiny pieces, and after precisely a second of hovering, the tiny fragments were all coalesced back together in a way that _finally _solved the mystery of this situation. _Hashirama freaking Senju. _Her brain, as fried as it was, realized that the reason why the "stranger" had seemed familiar was that she saw his face every single day on the most celebrated monument in her village.

"They carved my face into that mountain?" Hashirama suddenly said, a look of pure elation and excitement blinking into existence on said face. "Can we go see that later? I hope they did a better job than my portrait artist!"

Sakura took a deep, extremely shaky breath, finding it harder and harder to believe that the expressive man in front of her was one of the most powerful ninja to ever exist. "From what I can discern and dissect from history books of your era, they sculpted your face perfectly." She paused. "Excuse me, but are you _really _Hashirama Senju?"

The euphoric look on said man's face suddenly morphed into an offended one, and the man crossed his arms in front of him. "The one and only. How else do you think you have more chakra than the average jounin right now, eh?"

"You're joking." Sakura had known for awhile now with her acutely developed chakra sense that she had the least amount of chakra among her graduating class- don't even think about being at Jounin level. Instinctively she reached for that familiar surge of energy within her, closing her eyes to concentrate on her meager mass of wavering chakra. What she found was a strange, unstable substance that nearly choked her when she tried to channel it. It clutched her, trying to drag her deeper into her inner boundaries.

Tearing herself form the grasp of the monster chakra within, Sakura opened her eyes and resurfaced from her mental landscape, gasping for air. Her eyes settled on the other person in the room, searching for an answer in Hashirama's badly veiled amusement.

"W-what did you _do _to me?" Sakura demanded, her face paling at the implications of her new discovery. Her chakra was _definitely _too powerful than it should be.

"Long story short, your entire being and my spirit are bound together by a quadruple sealing technique with two even and two odd seals layered on top of a five-point seal array over a base Shinigami Summoning mark." Hashirama remarked. Seeing the utterly confused look on Sakura's dumbfounded face, he added, "Basically, some idiot decided to bring me back from the dead and lock me indefinitely in some random little girl."

Then, Hashirama nonchalantly pulled off his chest armor, tossing the heavy garment aside, the red plates clanking against each other. After being peeled off a scandalously muscular body, his long-sleeved black top followed, and it was only when the man inched down the waistline of his pants did Sakura manage to speak again.

"_What are you doing?" _she screeched indignantly, blushing madly at the sight before her. Some part of her mind wondered why the guards haven't heard them yet.

"Enjoying the view?" Hashirama laughed gallantly placing his hands on his hips, which were miraculously still partially clothed. "Anyways, calm down. I have no intention of whatever you have in mind- I'm just showing you something."

Without waiting for her reaction, Hashirama turned around so that the tanned skin on his unexpectedly smooth back was facing Sakura. Her breath caught in her throat.

A boldly printed circle, painted with pitch-black ink, stretched from between his shoulder blades to the small of his back, fit snugly around a pentagon. Inside the pentagon was twelve intersecting circles, with a myriad of symbols and kanji meticulously inserted in every small space. The amount of finesse and detail that each of the twelve perfectly drawn circles possessed was breath-taking, an aesthetic masterpiece.

"This...is this the seal?" Sakura asked, her voice almost inaudible. Her body moved on its own as she drifted forward and traced her index finger on the beautiful inscriptions.

"You have the same one on your back." Answered Hashirama.

When their skin made contact, the seal hummed to life, glowing yellow. Her finger was instantly heated to an unbearable temperature, and with a yelp, she snatched her hand back and stepped away.

"I advise you not to do that again." Hashirama warned, before abruptly standing up and tossing his clothes back on in less than a few seconds. "The amounts of chakra flowing between our connection is already at its max level. Skin-on-skin contact might override the structure of the seal and kill both of us."

Sakura nodded, reminding herself _not _to go anywhere near Hashirama soon and to check in the mirror as soon as she got home.

"Worry about the seal later." At that comment, Sakura vaguely wondered if their minds were connected as well. "Right now, we have a bigger problem that needs to be addressed immediately."

At that, she snapped to attention, recalling Ino's words. _The entire village is panicking._ "It's because of us, right?"

"Yes. If we don't assure them that you're just a harmless reincarnation of its greatest leader, they might hurt you."

"...so what do we do?"

Hashirama snickered. A flash of red and black later, the windows were flung open, and Hashirama was crouching on the ledge.

"I have a plan, Sakura." He was smirking at her over his shoulder, golden-brown eyes glowing with the promise of excitement. "It involves a dramatic entrance, a motivational speech, and a dozen or so of jutsus. Just lend me your trust for the next sixty minutes, and soon, you will be revered by all of Konoha."

For the first time, Sakura had time to reflect on the implications of this situation. Only a few hours ago, her life as a genin was gearing up towards a boring, frustrating mission of pursuing a cold-hearted prince and avoiding a loud-mouthed idiot, and pointlessly ruined friendships. She couldn't quite recall every single thing she has ever read about Hashirama Senju, but if this familiar stranger standing in front was really who he claimed he was, then, for better or worse, her life has changed forever.

Raw anticipation and adrenaline pumped through her at the thought of the adventures that laid ahead, and she found herself returning Hashirama's snicker with a huge smile as she answered.

"Well, what are we waiting for?"

* * *

**... :)**


End file.
